Air Shows

Michelle Obama had a scare in the air when the Boeing 737 airplane on which she and Second Lady Jill Biden were aboard was about three miles away from a C-17 cargo plane as each plane was preparing for a landing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, outside Washington. The 737 had to do a number of turns in the air to get enough distance from the C-17. But when that didn't separate the planes enough for the cargo plane to clear the runway in time for Mrs. Obama's plane to land next, the 737 pilot had to abort the landing and begin climbing after its initial descent to provide enough time to land safely. Had it gotten much closer to the C-17 in the air, the 737 could have been caught in a wake of nasty turbulence.

In what is only the latest in a series of screw-ups on the part of federal air traffic controllers - this one affecting both Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden directly - the C-17 and the 737 didn't have the proper separation when controllers in Warrenton, Virginia handed them off to the controllers at Andrews. The First and Second Ladies, we are told, were never in danger.

Meanwhile, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour blasted the Obamas, saying that the First Family let this happen to promote passenger rail as a safer alternative to flying. All right, I just made that up.

Meanwhile, President Obama was in Annandale, Virginia showing off his tough side by promoting his deficit reduction plan. He insisted that his proposal was superior to that of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, and that he would hold firm on protecting Medicare. He did so having failed to understand that he had already lost the first round of the budget debate because Republicans framed it on an issue that benefits them (deficit reduction). Also, the President woke this morning to find that his overall approval rating in an ABC News-Washington Post poll was at 47 percent and his disapproval rating on his handling of the economy was at 61 percent in that same poll.

Mrs. Obama landed safely in Maryland. Meanwhile, in Virginia, her husband crashed trying to get off the ground.

Obama Abroad

So how can you call Barack Obama's first trip to Europe as President of the United States a success when he didn't accomplish much?

Well, for one thing, he actually made it to Europe. And he impressed the British, the French, and the Germans alike with his charm, his self-deprecation, his articulate manner, and his willingness to listen. Obama wanted the Europeans to spend more to stimulate their economies. They don't want to do that so much. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wanted more international banking regulations. President Obama wanted more regulations, but not on a global framework. But at the G-20 summit, Obama did set a tone for ongoing negotiations and good-faith efforts at reviving the global economy that should bear more fruit later, just not now. So, as the President himself insisted, he did okay.

And thanks to him, the Queen of England has a new IPod!

Probably a lot of Sir Edward Elgar on it . . .

(The best sideshow involving First Lady Michelle Obama was not her meeting with Her Majesty, both rather her meeting with her French counterpart, Carla Bruni Sarkozy. A picture of the meeting shows that they were clearly sizing each other up! :-D)